Professor Gerald took the exam paper of Baek Yu-Seol and immediately went to find Vice Principal Archie Hayden.

Teaching a student who had written an excellent paper was not only a matter of raising Stella's reputation, but also a matter of his own honor and achievement, so Gerald was pleased as if it were his own work.

"... You're recommending that Baek Yu-Seol attend the Aslan Seminar?"

"Yes."

Of course, whether it would be possible or not was uncertain.

Aslan Seminar gathered numerous prodigies from around the world, so breaking through their fierce competition would not be easy.

However, considering that Baek Yu-Seol’s paper was of a decent doctoral level, Gerald believed it was sufficiently competent.

But, Archie Hayden slowly lowered his gaze and furrowed his brow.

"That's troublesome, Professor Gerald."

"Yes?"

"Currently, Stella has many candidates for attendance besides that student. Especially the freshmen this year, they are promising candidates who would stand out no matter where they go."

"That's true, but..."

"In one academy, the maximum number of students who can attend Aslan, excluding prestigious individuals with 'fixed attendance rights,' is two."

In truth, it was rare for all two slots to be filled. It was not an easy task for an academy to produce two outstanding students who could attend Aslan.

However, because it was Stella, there were a lot of exceptional students who could attend the Aslan Seminar.

"But... you're recommending Baek Yu-Seol for that position?"

"..."

From Gerald's perspective, it was quite reasonable.

Although Baek Yu-Seol was a commoner, he was proving his abilities as a mage with his skills.

"No, it's not right. A magic warrior who doesn't use magic? That is an act that insults Stella, as well as all magic institutions, magic academies, and all mages around the world. Don't you think so?"

"Yes."

It was the Vice Principal's words. They shouldn't be denied.

However... Eltman Eltwin, the principal, had personally approved Baek Yu-Seol’s admission in the first place.

Gerald had no idea that the Vice Principal would have objections to it.

"If you knew, you should have left immediately. I absolutely cannot permit Baek Yu-Seol’s attendance at Aslan."

"... I understand."

It was truly regrettable that a talented student couldn't even have the opportunity to spread his wings under the harassment of a narrow-minded old mage.

But, what could be done? This was the reality.

Gerald slouched his shoulders and left the Vice Principal's office with a weary expression, while Archie Hayden clicked his tongue and tore apart the copy of Baek Yu-Seol’s exam paper, burning it.

"To think they were trying to insert such a worthless worm into Aslan..."

——

From the first to the tenth, none of the Stella mages were pleasing.

After the second round of exams, they would undergo proper training in the 'Magician Duel.'

In fact, magic warriors didn't specialize in duels. Dueling was the specialty of magic knights, while the Dark Magic War was the specialty of magic warriors.

However, that didn’t mean that magic warriors never engaged in combat with humans.

Just as magic knights learned basic tactics for the Great Dark Magic War, dueling was an essential subject for magic warriors as well.

While Baek Yu-Seol hadn’t received proper training in dueling yet.

No, couldn’t he really go on like this without even learning it?

Honestly, he couldn’t win.

So far, he had managed to handle situations well by borrowing the power of the protagonists.

During the necromancer's attack, the protagonist's companion was holding off the enemy's main power technique, Skeleton, and during the demon siege, Eisel did everything alone.

The same goes for the Persona Gate, where the three female protagonists took care of it themselves, but for some reason, most of the credit came to him.

That was why he seemed to be strangely overestimated...

Honestly, when he was alone, he was just a scarecrow that moved quickly.

He could infuse some magic power into his sword, but he lacked decisive destructive power.

If the duel was 2v2 or 3v3, he could somehow win.

Given the fights he had so far, his position was closer to a close-range dealer rather than a "tank."

He seized the enemy's openings, swiftly struck and exploited their weaknesses, and then retreated.

But 1v1 was a bit difficult.

In terms of experience and theory, he might be much better than a second-year student, but his offensive power, which could determine the outcome, was low.

Well... if he poured all the knowledge and concentrated as much as possible to deliver precise and effective damage, he might be able to win somehow.

The difference in experience shouldn't be ignored.

But, was it really necessary to go that far? Honestly, he didn't want to go through unnecessary hardships just to win.

It would be better to practice using 'items' instead. Yeah, that sounds good.

Standing in the middle of the dueling field, which was a vast plain, Baek Yu-Seol gazed into the empty space.

Due to the spatial transformation of Stella Dome, the dueling field consisted of fields such as a dry desert, a forest, a cold icy land, and cliffs filled with rocks. The width was roughly equivalent to a soccer field.

Outside the boundaries of the dueling field, there were not concert halls or amphitheaters, but rather, tiered seats arranged in a staircase fashion.

Both seniors and fellow students could observe from there during the special training for junior development. It was like saying, "If you make a mistake, you'll receive this kind of training, so behave yourselves."

It used to be a breeding ground for corruption coming down through the generations, but many things have disappeared, and yet, this was one of the few remaining.

Why does something like this still exist in a prestigious academy? Even the egalitarian 21st-century democratic South Korean military sometimes committed more severe absurdities with just a few months of seniority.

In an academy where nobles and commoners coexisted, it was rather fascinating that only this much remained.

But, putting that aside...

"Why are there so many people gathered here?"